We humans are incredibly adaptive. Our brains and our bodies adapt over short times to fit the life we live. While we were built over generations to withstand a pretty rigorous existence, most have us have adapted more recently to suit a sedentary life. As we’ve achieved a life of greater convenience, and less dynamic physical effort, we’ve become weaker, stiffer, less resilient, and more frail. While we are living longer, we aren’t able to do much in our later years.

After we turn 30, if we don’t engage and challenge our bodies in the right ways, we start to lose ground in many key areas, including muscle mass, bone density, balance, coordination, reaction time, cognition and memory. But, it doesn’t have to be this way, or at least nowhere near as fast.

In order to live better and longer, we have to take the time to understand better. Let’s dig in to what kinds of exercise we need to make positive changes, how much is necessary, and where to focus!